SERMON: THE Trustworthy Sayings of Paul -- MESSAGE 5

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to Titus 3:1-8

 

Titus 3:1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.

 

3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, 5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

 

-- When the author Robert Louis Stevenson was a young child, he was sick much of the time -- He couldn’t go out and play like the other children, so all he could do was sit at the window and look outside at the other children playing and life just passing him by

-- one day, Stevenson continued to sit at the window till well after dark -- too dark to see anything through it -- his nurse noticed him sitting there and said to him, “What are you doing?” -- Stevenson looked out of the window and watched the gasman light the lanterns along the street -- “I’m watching the man knock holes in the darkness.”

-- in a very real sense, this is what our series on the trustworthy or faithful sayings of Paul has been about -- in these five statements of Paul, we are presented the foundational truths of the gospel -- the very words that turned this world upside down in the days of the early church and that continue to reverberate through our world today -- changing lives and transforming hearts for Christ

-- as His people, called by His name, it is our charge to knock holes in the darkness by knowing these statements -- by knowing the word of God -- and by carrying these words into this dark world as the harbingers of light, so that those who are living in darkness might see the light and be drawn into the light of love, forgiveness, and eternal life through Christ

 

-- today, in our last message in this series, we find ourselves in Titus Chapter 3 -- Titus was another one of Paul’s disciples -- a pastor who ministered on the island nation of Crete

-- Crete was one of the largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea -- it was about 140 miles long and 35 miles wide, and may have been the original home of the Philistine people

-- during Paul’s day, the people of Crete were known as being corrupt, immoral, and ungodly people -- as Paul himself described them in Titus 1:12, quoting from one of their very own poets, “The Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, and lazy gluttons”

-- they were not a nice people, but in the darkness of this place, the light of God was blossoming -- there were Jews from Crete at Pentecost, and when they returned home, they apparently carried the gospel and the light of Christ with them -- and now, having found a group of believers in this place, Paul has called Titus to come and serve them and help them continue to grow in grace and not turn back to the darkness where they had once lived

-- in this short letter, Paul gives practical instruction to Titus on how to pastor these people and what to teach them -- and here in the third chapter, we find our last trustworthy statement -- a summary of the gospel which Paul gave to Titus to inspire and encourage the Cretans so they might live a godly life as they sought to follow Christ in that place

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (Titus 3:1-8)

 

            -- so, with that introduction, let us turn now to the Scriptures and see what we might learn from Paul’s instructions to Titus

            -- let’s begin with verse 3, and we’ll start there

 

Titus 3:3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

 

            -- as I said, this last, lengthy trustworthy statement is a summary of the gospel message -- the good news of salvation and redemption through Christ -- and, as with any good story, we start at the beginning -- with who we were and how we were living before Jesus called us to Him

            -- as Paul says here, all of us at one time lived just like the Cretans -- liars -- evil brutes -- and lazy gluttons -- we lived for ourselves and were driven by our passions and pleasures -- we lived to satisfy all of our desires, regardless of whether they were profitable for us or not

            -- Paul describes us here as “foolish” -- in the Bible, a foolish person is defined not by intelligence, but by their spiritual knowledge and understanding -- a foolish person is someone who either has no knowledge of God or who deliberately rejects the truth of God in exchange for a lie

-- Romans 1:22-23 makes the same point -- it reads, “Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles”

-- it doesn’t matter how much knowledge you might possess or how much education you have, if you don’t know God, you are foolish, for in Him and Him alone do we find life, salvation, and redemption

 

            -- Paul goes on to say we were disobedient -- sinners -- not following the commands of God but doing what seemed right to us

            -- deceived -- believing the father of lies and the lies of this world -- believing what Satan and the world called wisdom and following them rather than God -- not believing the truth of God, even when we see it plainly

            -- he calls us enslaved -- held in bondage to sin and death -- chained and bound by sin through the power of the flesh, the world, and Satan

 

            -- because of this, we lived in a continual state of malice and envy -- being hated and hating one another -- every thought of our hearts was bent to evil -- and we were as lost as lost can be

-- Paul reminds us here that this is who all of us were at one time -- now you’re probably listening to these words and thinking, “this isn’t me -- this isn’t who I was -- I know there were some evil people who lived in the world, but I wasn’t like that -- I was a good old boy or a good old girl -- I did what was right -- I did what my parents told me -- I lived a good life -- I didn’t get into any trouble” -- but the Bible says otherwise

-- what we, as fallen humans bound by our sin nature and living in this fallen world -- deceived by Satan and our own desires -- thought was good, was not

-- in the light of Christ -- when compared to His holy standard -- we quickly see that all of us are sinners and have sinned, fallen short of the glory of God

-- C.S. Lewis pointed out that one of the problems he had in evangelizing his peers was that he first had to convince them that they were sinners -- that is why Paul is taking so much time to remind us of the truth of this fact -- this description here in verse 3, even though we may protest and say, “not us,” is us -- as Pogo said, “We have met the enemy, and he is us”

-- God wants to remind us here of the depths from which we have come -- He wants to remind us of who we were before Jesus came -- sinners without hope -- sinners condemned to Hell because of our sin -- so that we will recognize just how amazing is the grace and mercy that He gave us in Jesus and we will not be so quick to judge others we see in the world today

-- for that is who we were, but God didn’t leave us that way -- and now we move on to see who we became through the grace and mercy of Christ

                       

            -- verse 4-5a

 

Titus 3:4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, a5 he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy.

 

-- having reminded us of the depth of our sin and of who we used to be, Paul now turns our attention to the source of our salvation

-- when there was nothing we could do to save ourselves, God sent His very Son into the world to save us from ourselves and from the sin that enslaved us and bound us

-- he tells us here that we were saved when the kindness and love of God penetrated our reprobate minds and took away the veil Satan put before our eyes to deceive us and keep us away from the truth of God’s word -- and because of His kindness and love, we were able to see and hear the truth of God and turn from our sins and receive Jesus as our Lord and Savior

 

-- I like Paul’s use of the word, “appeared,” here -- because just as Christ appeared in the world as described in the gospels -- coming as a baby born in a manger to live a sinless life and show us what life with God should look like all the way to the cross and the resurrection -- Christ still appears to us today

-- He appears to us when He opens our eyes so we see past Satan’s veil to the truth of God’s word

-- He appears to us when the Spirit convicts people of their sin and they turn from their sins and turn to Him in faith and trust for salvation and eternal life

-- and He appears to us when someone shows the love and kindness of God in a real and tangible way and they come face-to-face with the presence of God in others

 

-- in regards to that, I listened to sermon on the radio this week that was critical of what is known as the social gospel -- the social gospel is a movement within the church whereby Christians try to address social problems in the world today, such as poverty, injustice, racism, and other issues -- they do this by seeking to meet the needs of people, working to feed the hungry and clothe the naked and minister to people in their need

-- the criticism of this movement is that some of the more liberal and progressive churches only do this, and the pastor said that they were not doing anything more than what the Government was doing -- he said that in emphasizing this, they were neglecting the gospel and the good news of salvation through Christ

-- and there is some truth to that viewpoint -- but the pastor went on to explain that our calling was only to preach the gospel and to lead people to Christ -- that our focus should be spiritual and not secular -- but the problem with this approach is that the emphasis on the spiritual over the physical can lead to a cold, spiritless approach to the gospel where the church doesn’t share the love and kindness of God with others

 

-- several years ago, there used to be a homeless man in Valdosta who lived near Langdale Ford -- he became the target for all the churches in the area -- everyone wanted to reach that man for Christ -- and we were no different

-- so, Kim and I made him a bag filled with clothes, food, and other items, and we put a Bible in it -- and one night, we went by and literally threw the bag at him and left, hoping that by giving him food and clothes and the Bible he might find the Lord

-- a friend of ours from another church went by and just preached at him -- he tried to reason with him through the Bible that he needed Jesus -- but he did nothing to meet this man’s physical needs -- he didn’t bring any food or clothes or anything

-- and although we were both trying to reach this man in our own way, both of us were wrong in our approach -- this man didn’t just need food and clothes -- and he didn’t just need the gospel, because it wouldn’t satisfy the physical hunger within -- he needed both the social and the spiritual -- and that’s the point Paul is making here

-- this man, and all of us, need kindness and love -- kindness that meets our physical needs and the love that meets our spiritual needs -- and this was the example of Jesus -- as He healed and fed people and met their physical needs at the same time He was speaking to their deepest spiritual needs

 

-- notice here the clear message that our salvation is an act of God’s grace and mercy -- we are not saved because of any righteous things we have done -- but simply because of God’s grace and mercy

-- and what that tells us is that we can’t make anyone come to Christ -- it is not us who saves anyone -- it is an act of the Spirit who draws a person to the cross

-- as the old proverb goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make them drink -- you can lead a person to Christ, but you can’t make them receive Him -- only the Spirit can

-- but what we can do is to be salt and light in the world today -- and to pour out so much salt by loving others and being kind to them that they become thirsty and drink deep of the living water of Christ

 

-- look at the second part of verse 5b-6

 

Titus 3:5b He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior

 

-- having realized that Jesus is the only source of salvation -- that there is no other name under heaven by which men are saved -- we are now reminded of the means of our salvation and sanctification

-- first, we are saved through the washing of rebirth -- in other words, we are born again by being washed in the blood of the Lamb -- it is through His cleansing blood that our sins are washed away and we are changed from being the foolish, disobedient, and enslaved people we once were into the children of God

 

-- second, we read that we are renewed -- this is another term for sanctification -- the process by which the Spirit works within us to renew us from the inside out -- to make us holy as God is holy -- to make us more like Jesus every day

-- if you remember, Jesus criticized the Pharisees for striving for holiness outwardly only -- He said they were like white-washed tombs -- they looked good on the outside, but the inside was still unclean

-- so, for those who have been saved through the washing of the blood, the Spirit works in our lives from the inside out -- so that we won’t just be outwardly holy, but we will be holy inside and out

-- we call this the “process” of sanctification because it is an ongoing event -- we are continually being washed and renewed through the Spirit to make us more and more like Jesus

-- since we have become born again through the blood of Christ, we now have to grow up into holiness through the renewal and sanctification of the Spirit until we become mature Christians and recognize the end result of our salvation

 

            -- verse 7

 

Titus 3:7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

 

-- we are washed and renewed by the grace and mercy of God, so that we might live eternally with Jesus forever -- when we are saved, we are born again -- this time into the family of God -- and we become His children and heirs -- the very children of God who live in the hope and promise of eternal life with Christ our Savior

-- as it says in John 1:12, “Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God”

-- don’t just gloss over this -- but revel in it -- bask in it -- think about what this means -- you are a child of God -- you are someone that God chose -- someone that God loved so much that He sent His only Son to earth to die for you and to pay the penalty for your sins -- you are that important and that loved

-- when Brooke was little, like most little girls, she wanted to be a princess -- so, I constantly reminded her that she already was one -- I would tell her, “Remember who you are -- you are the daughter of the King -- you are a princess -- and you should be treated like a princess and live like a princess” -- we all need to remember that, too

-- during the Super Bowl, there was a commercial from the NFL on the work their players were doing in the community with children and teens -- and it showed several NFL players surrounded by kids leading them in the saying, “I am somebody -- I am somebody” -- the point being that when the world told them otherwise or when the world tried to tell them they were not important, they were to remember, “I am somebody important”

-- we need to remind ourselves of this every single day -- only we are not just important in this world -- we are important in eternity because we are the children of God -- heirs with Christ -- and we will reign with Him forever

 

-- verse 8

 

Titus 3:8 This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

 

-- so, knowing that -- knowing that we are loved and important and the children of God -- what are we to do? -- Paul tells us here -- we are to live a godly life -- we are to live up to the name that we claim as the sons and daughters of the King

            -- as the recipients of God’s love and kindness -- of His marvelous and amazing grace -- as the heirs of God saved through Christ -- we should live godly and holy lives for God

 

            -- here in verse 8, Paul stresses that we are to devote ourselves to doing good -- remember that “good” in the Bible always refers to godly action or godly behavior or character -- to do good, then, means that we live as God would have us live -- to do good, then, means that our relations with others is such that they see the good in us as the Spirit empowers us to live holy lives in the world today

            -- when we started looking at this passage, I had you skip verses 1 and 2 because I felt that they were really part of verse 8

-- in verses 1 and 2, Paul had opened this chapter with a command for Titus to remind his church members to be holy and how they should live, and then he went into the reason they were to do so -- the trustworthy statement that we just went over

-- look back at verses 1-2

 

Titus 3:1 Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good, 2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and always to be gentle toward everyone.

 

-- this is what a holy and godly life looks like

-- first, we are to subject or submit ourselves to the rulers and authorities above us -- and this includes both the secular authorities and the spiritual authorities that God has placed above us -- in doing so, we are being obedient to God because He is the One who put these people in their positions of authority

 

            -- but having said that, let me just make a comment here about this -- this command from God to respect and submit to the authorities above us is not a statement about the moral rightness of the government -- in other words, it doesn’t mean the authorities above us are godly leaders -- remember who the authorities were in Paul’s day when he wrote these words

-- “the Roman government under which the early church lived not only was thoroughly pagan and morally debauched but also was despotic, oppressive, unjust, and brutal.” [Source: Austin Precept Ministries] -- no one could look at Rome and at Caesar and say, “These are godly people so we should follow them and do what they say” -- that is not what Paul is saying here and that is not what God intends for us to take from this passage

 

-- to submit to the authorities and rulers above us does not mean that we agree with who they are or what they do, but we respect their positions as the God-ordained leaders that He put in place to regulate human society -- when that government is cruel and immoral and unjust, as the Romans were, then we are not to follow their example, but to submit to their authority as best we can for the general order and welfare of society -- but when the government demands something other than what God demands, we must follow God above any human authority or ruler

            -- recently, I have had some quote to me Jesus’ command to render unto Caesar the things of Caesar and to God the things of God as justification that we are to follow the rules of the Government, regardless of whether we like them or not -- but those who are hanging onto this verse to support their position are forgetting the many exceptions to this statement of Jesus and Paul’s guidance to Titus here in Titus 3:1

            -- for instance, when Peter and the apostles were brought before the Sanhedrin and commanded by those authorities and rulers above them to quit teaching and preaching in Jesus’ name, Peter responded in Acts 5:29, "We must obey God rather than men."

            -- and we have the two notable examples from the Book of Daniel of disobedience to rulers and authorities -- the first being when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to the statue of Nebuchadnezzar when commanded to, resulting in their getting thrown into the fiery furnace -- the second being when Daniel refused to stop praying to God and to pray only to Darius as the law commanded, resulting in his being thrown into the lion’s den

 

            -- so, even though the scriptures tell us to submit ourselves to rulers and authorities, when those rulers and authorities demand that we do something that is expressly forbidden or that goes against the word of God, we must obey God rather than men, even though we know we will have to face the consequences of our actions

 

-- verse 1 goes on and tells us that we are to be obedient to God -- to do whatever is good and right and just -- to not slander anyone -- to be peaceable and considerate -- to show true humility to all men -- in other words, to live good and godly lives as we remember who we used to be and the depth from which we have come through the love and kindness -- the grace and mercy -- of Christ

 

            -- one thing to note here is that that we have to be reminded of these things -- the fact is that we live in a fallen world -- and although the power of sin and death have been overcome by the cross -- and although our sin nature within has been overcome by the blood of Christ -- we are still prone to hear its siren call and to give in to temptation and sin

-- it is far easier to fall back into a life like that than it is to live a godly life -- as the hymn says, “Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love”

-- so, we must be reminded of these things and we must be careful to devote ourselves to doing what is good, as we read in verse 8 -- we have to intentionally choose to walk with God every single day -- to live good and godly lives through His power -- or, as Jesus said, “to pick up our cross, die to self, and follow Him”

 

            -- look back at the end of verse 8 -- “these things are excellent and profitable for everyone”

-- these things are excellent -- these are things to strive for -- this is a pattern of life to seek to live -- this is the standard by which good lives are measured

            -- and these things are profitable to everyone -- profitable here means that there is value to them -- not financial value -- but spiritual value -- for in them, we find ourselves living as Christ, loving as Christ, and changing the world as Christ -- not in our own strength, of course, but in the power of God

            -- and that is a trustworthy statement and a calling that we should all embrace

 

III.  Closing

            -- in The Princess Bride, arguably one of the best movies in history, Buttercup is the daughter of a farmer on a large farm -- and when she commands Wesley, one of the farmhands on her father's farm to do something, he always replies with the statement, “As you wish”

            -- over time, Buttercup came to realize that Wesley’s reply was not just the reply of a servant, but that when he said, “As you wish,” he was really saying, “I love you” -- and it was his love of Buttercup that compelled him to do what she wanted

 

            -- as we close out this series of trustworthy statements, we need to adopt Wesley’s reply of “As you wish” as our own -- for as we realize who we were before Christ -- as we really realize the depth and darkness of our souls before Jesus -- and as we realize just how amazing His grace and His mercy -- how amazing His love and His kindness -- are to us -- we should be compelled to live good and godly lives for Him out of gratitude, thankfulness, and love

            -- when He tells us to do something, our reply should be, “As you wish” -- and our hearts should be filled with love -- and our desire should only be for Him

            -- that is the take-home message from this series -- and I hope that you will spend some time looking back over these five trustworthy and faithful statements of Paul so that we would all begin living godly lives and devoting ourselves to doing what is good

            -- and, with that, let us join in prayer to our Lord and our Savior -- our Creator and our Redeemer -- and let us be quick this week to say, “As you wish,” and to share God’s love and kindness with all that we meet

            -- let us pray

 

A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO IMMIGRATION

 

Leviticus 19:34 (NIV)
³⁴ The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

As a pastor I have had the occasion to speak on a variety of contentious topics, ranging from divorce and homosexuality to adultery and pornography.  But the most vocal responses and negative criticism I have ever received from any message I ever gave in the pulpit came when I spoke about the immigration issue several years ago and advocated for the humane treatment of all, regardless of their citizenship or immigration status.  

At the time, the State of Georgia, where I reside, was proposing a law similar to one that had recently passed in Arizona, which would make it a crime to aid or assist an illegal immigrant in any form or fashion.  As the law read at the time, if I stopped to assist someone on the side of the road with a flat tire and that person turned out to be an illegal immigrant, I could be charged with a crime in the State of Georgia, which I thought was unjust on many levels, both to those seeking to be good Samaritans and to the recipients of their actions.  

When I spoke out against this law from the pulpit, I was harshly criticized by some in the church for this stance, and was told that all illegals should be deported or jailed immediately.

That message was preached almost 15 years ago, and without a doubt, the issue of immigration in the United States has gotten more contentious since I preached that message back then.  If you doubt that, then just look at the news and the current focus of the Trump administration.  And while these are the most recent events to draw attention to the question of immigration in our country, they are not the first.  This issue has been at the forefront of our country's attention since 9-11, when the threat of terrorism within our borders caused this issue to become a rallying cry for some in our country, and rightly so. 

It continued on through the subsequent administrations, with Obama passing the Dreamer executive order to provide protection for those immigrants who were brought into the country as children.  Immigration laws and policies have changed with each subsequent change in party governance, with each party reversing the policies of the previous, until we have reached the point we are today, with the Trump administration enforcing mass deportations of illegal immigrants.

As I said in my earlier sermon, I favor strong borders and the process of legal immigration.  But, at the same time, I recognize that we have a responsibility as Christians to minister to all in our country, whether citizens or not.  I have been disappointed in the lack of Christian response and discussion on this issue from the prominent Christian leaders in our country, and I have been disappointed in how love of country has been so intertwined with Christianity in this regard.

So I'm asking this question to generate thought and discussion.  Put aside partisan politics.  Put aside the rhetoric that your particular tribe or political party espouses.  And consider this topic as a believer in Christ.  How should we respond to the issue of illegal immigration and illegal immigrants from a Christian perspective?

Here are a few thoughts of my own:

1.  We need to separate nationalism from Christian faith.

There is a tendency in the United States to intertwine our religion with nationalism, meaning we equate being a United States citizen with Christianity.  In other words, we equate loyalty to the state synonymous with loyalty to Christ, but that is not the case.  Supporting a particular country's political doctrine runs counter to the Bible's message that we are aliens and strangers in this world.  Our loyalty should be first and foremost to the Kingdom of God and not to our country, any political system or political party, and certainly not to charismatic politicians.  Jesus' actions on earth were an affront to the religious and political leaders in His day, and the church has historically stood against the policies of political leaders when they were deemed incongruent with God's law or they were viewed as unjust or inhumane.  We must do the same and divorce our political stance and rhetoric from our faith in Christ if we seek to be obedient to His commands in regards to our relationships with immigrants.

2.  We need to search God's word and seek His guidance on our interactions with illegal immigrants.

It is one thing to support securing the borders of our country and mandating legal immigration (which I do) versus withholding basic human care of people within our borders.  The Bible clearly tells us we have a mandate to minister to the poor, the widows, the orphans, and the aliens and strangers living in our land.  Leviticus 19:34 (NIV) says, "The alien living with you must be treated as one of your native-born. Love him as yourself, for you were aliens in Egypt. I am the LORD your God."  No amount of political spin can change the basic meaning of this verse, and this is not the only verse in the Bible where we are commanded to love and take care of aliens and strangers.

This is where nationalism and Christianity diverge, for if we are Christians, we are also aliens and strangers in the land in which we live.  Our home is not of this world, but of the Kingdom of God, and we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, regardless of who they are or their legal status in our country.  To demand the withholding of basic human rights from an illegal immigrant by a Christian is the same as saying we will love our neighbors, but only those neighbors we like, not the Samaritans in our midst.  

And yes, I am well aware of Jesus' words in Matthew 22:21 to the Pharisees when they were testing Him and trying to undermine His ministry in hopes of having Him arrested, "Render unto Caesar the things of Caesar and unto God the things of God."  I have heard this verse thrown at me enough over the last few weeks.  And I would counsel those who are holding onto this verse to read it in context and to read it within the entire scope of Jesus' ministry and example to us of the way of God.  This verse does NOT mean that we are to follow the laws of the land above the laws of God, so please stop using it that way.

So, should we should expect our country to take care of illegal immigrants?  No.  

Does that mean we should mandate our taxes pay for the college tuition of illegal immigrants? No.  

But the commands of God to consider and take care of widows, orphans, and strangers does mean the church of Christ in this country has a mandate to take care of the basic human needs of those who live with us within the borders of our country:  food, water, clothing, and housing.  

Should we expect the Government to take care of it?  No.  That is not the Government's responsibility or their mandate -- the Bible's commands are not to a political state.  The Bible's commands are to Christians, and it is our responsibility to follow God's commands in this regard.

3.  We need to question the reason for the increase in immigration, both legal and illegal.

Brother Andrew preached a message about the Russian invasion of Poland.  As many fled the country to the west, Brother Andrew drove into the nation carrying a carload of Bibles.  When he visited a church in that country to address their concerns over the occupation, he pointed out the occupation may be a result of their own disobedience.  It may be, he said, your failure to go into Russia and evangelize the Russians that led God to allow them to come here. If you wouldn't go to them, God would send them here so they might hear the good news of Jesus Christ.

Why are our borders busting with immigrants?  Is it only the promise of material and financial wealth and freedom?  I think not.  

I truly believe God is drawing people to this country to allow them to hear the good news of Jesus Christ from the people in this country who have refused to minister to those outside our border.  Certainly, the people streaming across our border are not coming to America because of the gospel.  That is not what is drawing them here.  But I do believe God is allowing this immigration pulse to occur in order to reach people with His word.  God's focus, first and foremost, is eternal and not temporal.  Ours should be as well.

There is an economic term called "remittances" -- this is the transfer of money from one country to another through individual workers.  One of the criticisms of an immigration Executive Order issued by President Obama was that it allows the flow of resources from our country to transfer from illegal immigrants working here back to their native country.  But I contend there are also spiritual remittances.  In other words, spiritual resources obtained in the United States can also transfer back to the illegal immigrants native country.

For instance, let's say I minister to an illegal alien working at a job here in America.  I give them clothing and food and assistance in living in Christ's name.  And I share with them the gospel of Jesus Christ, leading them to receive Jesus' offer of forgiveness and eternal life through His atoning death on the cross.  That illegal alien is now a brother in Christ.  Now let's say this illegal alien has family members in his native country.  As he works and lives here, he sends home money and other resources he obtains here.  But as he speaks with them and shares with them about his life here, he also shares the life-changing power of the gospel, and through his witness, his family comes to true faith in Jesus Christ.  A spiritual remittance has taken place.

What impact can the presence of illegal immigrants have on the kingdom of God?  It can be enormous, IF the church steps up and fulfills our mandate to minister to the aliens and strangers among us and share with them the love of Christ.  Our simple witness to a foreign neighbor, whether a legal or illegal immigrant, can result in a ripple of salvation and life-transforming grace through an entire nation.  Revivals have started with less than this.

So here's where I stand on the issue of illegal immigration:

1.  I believe we should secure our borders to minimize the risk of terrorism and the importation of crime.

2.  I believe we should allow legal immigration to occur in accordance with the policies of the United States.  Our country was built through legal immigration, and we should continue to support the immigration of people to our great land.

3.  I do not believe it is feasible or even humanly possible to deport all of the illegal aliens currently in America.  It just can't happen.  It makes good political rhetoric, but it is an impossibility.

4.  Given we will always have immigrants in this country in some form or fashion, I believe it is time for the Christian community to stand up and be obedient to the call of Christ to minister to them, as well as the poor, the orphans, and the widows in our midst.  It is not the job of the nation to do this.  It is not their responsibility to take care of non-citizens.  But it is the responsibility of Christians to minister to our neighbors, regardless of race, class, gender, or national status.

5.  Our focus in ministering to strangers and aliens should ALWAYS have a spiritual component.  True, we must help take care of their basic human needs, but their greatest need is salvation through Jesus Christ.

6.  We must submit to the authority of our country to the greatest extent possible and support political leaders whose views we ascribe to, but we must never compromise our spiritual beliefs to nationalism.  In other words, we follow the law as far as it is possible without violating the commands of God.  If the law of the land says you cannot hire an illegal immigrant, then I don't believe Christians have a mandate to do so.  However, this law does not preclude us from assisting them by providing basic human needs and helping them to move from being an illegal to someone with a legal status, even if that means temporary deportation to allow for a return through legal channels.

I am certainly not an expert on immigration or immigration policies.  But I believe the word of God is clear on how we are to respond to the foreigners and aliens in our midst.  He tells us to remember them and to take care of them.  Let us not lose this basic truth and call of God in the midst of the harsh political rhetoric that is filling our country today.  Let us show the love of Christ to all, and pray for God to lead us and to lead our elected officials in carrying out His commands in this country, including those having to do with immigration.

SERMON: THE Trustworthy Sayings of Paul -- MESSAGE 4

 

Naylor Community Christian Church

Naylor, Georgia

 

I.  Introduction

            -- turn in Bibles to 2 Timothy 2:11-13

 

2 Timothy 2:11 Here is a trustworthy saying:

 

If we died with him,

    we will also live with him;

12 if we endure,

    we will also reign with him.

If we disown him,

    he will also disown us;

13 if we are faithless,

    he remains faithful,

    for he cannot disown himself.

 

-- the film, The Monuments Men, tells the story about the rescue of great works of art from Nazi control in occupied Paris -- in addition to all their other atrocities, the Nazis were collectors of art and precious treasures -- and they would take these treasures from the people they oppressed, collect them all in one location, and then eventually ship them back to Germany for Hitler

-- in the movie, a woman named Claire Simone was an art enthusiast who tried to live as normal a life as possible under the oppressive Nazi regime -- because of her knowledge and expertise, she was forced by the Nazis to facilitate the pillaging of the great works of art of Paris. -- Claire did as she was commanded, but in an act of defiance, she secretly cataloged each piece of art, how it was boxed, and its destination, and she marked each piece with a small colored sticker so it could be identified later -- she kept this catalog without knowing whether it would ever be useful or just a dusty record of art—or if it would be confiscated and destroyed.

-- when news of her role in the collection of the art from Paris became known to the U.S.,  James Granger went to Paris and found her, asking her about these pieces of art and what she knows about them -- he was happily surprised when she showed him the catalog she had kept, which would serve as the documents the Monuments Men would use to find and save the precious works of art before they made their way to Germany  

-- but until James Granger showed up, Claire had no idea that anyone cared about her record-keeping efforts -- for all she knew, she was one woman in a city occupied by one of the most powerful militaries on the planet -- She was one woman battling against the whole Nazi-engineered system -- And for all the time before James Granger arrived, she kept working subversively and systematically, without any assurance that her work would ever be put to use

-- Claire’s efforts remind us of our role here on earth today -- as Christians, we live in territory occupied by the Enemy -- and it is tempting for us to give up hope that our work for Christ—our small deeds of compassion and kindness, our faithfulness to our families and jobs and churches—will come to anything  

-- in the midst of persecution -- of trials and tribulations -- of false teachers and false Christians -- it is easy to fall into despair

-- But unlike Claire, Christians have an assurance of hope -- Christ's resurrection guarantees our future -- Our service to Christ may feel insignificant, and yet Claire exhibits for Christians an inspiring example of how to live faithfully in Enemy-occupied territory

 

            -- this is an apt description of what Paul is trying to impress on Timothy in this second letter to him -- Timothy has found himself in a community that is being tested with trials and tribulations both within and outside the church -- unbelievers in the community were persecuting this small Christian church, and they were under considerable strain -- and to add to that, the church was being infiltrated by false teachers and false Christians -- by people who were not of Christ but who were pretending to be Christians and who were affecting the faith of the people in the church and causing the people in the community to view Christians negatively because of their actions

            -- so, in these verses, which are probably part of an early Christian hymn, Paul is urging Timothy to cling to Christ -- even in the midst of persecution and suffering -- hardship and trial -- even when faced with false Christians and false teachers inside the church -- because Christ will not fail to deliver on His promises and commitments to His people.

             -- the essence of this hymn is to stress the outcome of one’s faith or unbelief -- to those who are saved and endure in their faith, they can rest on the promise of eternal life and a place of honor and authority in the Kingdom of God with Christ -- but for the unbelievers who deny the Savior, they will have no part in the kingdom and will face condemnation for their unbelief and rejection of Jesus

            -- so, these verses are divided into two parts -- the first two stanzas of the hymn provide reassurance to saints who are going through suffering, trials, and tribulations -- the last two stanzas of the hymn are warnings for unbelievers and false teachers

            -- let’s look together at these verses and see what we can learn about enduring and persisting in our Christian lives as we continue to live in enemy-occupied areas here on earth

 

II.  Scripture Lesson (2 Timothy 2:11-13)

            -- verse 11

 

2 Timothy 2:11 Here is a trustworthy saying:

 

If we died with him,

    we will also live with him;

 

            -- once again, we see that Paul is passing these verses on to Timothy as a trustworthy or faithful saying -- something that we have learned through this sermon series as a foundational truth of Christian faith -- something we need to learn and to meditate on and to depend on as critical to our walk with Jesus today

-- don’t neglect the word of God, especially verses and passages called out like this one, because it is life itself -- it is a foundation for us and will be a light to our path if we will but trust it

 

            -- here in the first stanza of this hymn, we find the first reassurance to the saints -- the first promise of Christ to believers

            -- Paul reminds us here that if we died with Him -- with Christ -- that we will also live with Him -- which begs the question, “What does it mean to “die and live with Christ?””

            -- this is a picture of our salvation and redemption through Jesus

 

            -- as a reminder of the gospel, the Bible tells us that we are born sinners -- that when we are born, we are corrupted by original sin and are born in sin -- and this original sin, also called in the Bible our sin nature, our flesh, or the old man, is the reason we sin

            -- as it is said, we are not sinners because we sin -- we sin because we are sinners -- in other words, it is not our actions that make us sinners -- it is who we are that causes us to sin in our lives

            -- and because of this sin nature, we are condemned to Hell because all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God

            -- but God sent Jesus into the world to save the world, so that through Him -- through His atoning and substitutionary death on the cross in our place -- the sin debt and penalty for sin that belonged to us was paid by Jesus

            -- and if we believe in Jesus -- if we repent of our sins and ask Jesus to forgive us our sins and to give us eternal life -- if we put our faith and trust in Him -- then our old self -- our sin nature -- is put to death and we are born again as new creations

            -- in a very real sense, when Jesus died almost 2000 years ago, we were identified with Him -- His death becomes our death -- and when He was raised to life through the power of God, we became alive in Him

            -- that is why the Bible uses the image of death and resurrection to describe the spiritual state of the believer

            -- Colossians 3:3 -- For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.

            -- Romans 6:8 -- Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him.

            -- and in John 14:19, Jesus said, “Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”

 

            -- so, Paul reiterates the promise of the gospel and salvation to Timothy here to give him hope and strength for endurance during his trials and tribulations -- for this spiritual reality of our death to sin and life in Christ is also a promise of what will happen after we physically die -- for our physical death is not the end of our life, but we will continue to live with Christ forever

 

-- When James Calvert went out as a missionary to the cannibals of the Fiji Islands, the captain of the ship he was traveling on tried to dissuade him and turn him back.  -- he told Calvert, "You will lose your life and the lives of those with you if you go among such savages” -- Calvert replied, "[I cannot die, because] We died before we came here." 

 

            -- this promise that if we died with Him, we will also live with Him speaks to our lives on earth, because we know that our death through Christ has led to new life in us today

-- because of Jesus, we have died to the power of sin in our lives -- to the power of the world -- to our flesh and our earthly desires -- and to the powers of darkness

            -- and the Holy Spirit works within us to renew us from the inside out and to bring us to life within our mortal bodies, as we are sanctified and become more and more like Jesus everyday

 

            -- verse 12

 

2 Timothy 2:12 if we endure,

    we will also reign with him.

If we disown him,

    he will also disown us;

 

            -- as we mentioned, Timothy and the other members of his church were facing persecution, trials, and tribulations that were testing their faith -- times were hard, and it was easy to become discouraged and to lose hope

            -- so, Paul reminds them of the promise from Christ that for those who endure and overcome in this world, we will reign with Him

 

            -- the word that is translated as endure here calls for a continuous enduring -- and it means that we do more than just remain and stand under pressure, but that we do so with a vibrant hope that is found in Christ

            -- true faith and true belief in Christ always encourages endurance -- we are enabled to endure because the Spirit enables us to do so -- we endure because the Spirit of Christ indwells us and empowers us

            -- keep in mind that endurance, in and of itself, does not save -- but it proves our salvation because endurance is a sure sign that a person has the Spirit within -- without the Spirit, we would never be able to endure or overcome this world and the enemies of the faith

 

            -- Paul reminds Timothy of the promise of Christ that if believe in Him -- if we endure faithfully to the end -- we will reign with Him in eternity

            -- Revelation 20:6 says that believers will be priests of God and of Christ, and they will reign with him for a thousand years -- and Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6 that we would judge angels

-- until I read C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia and watched the movies that were made a few years ago, I didn’t really understand how we could reign with Christ -- but I came to understand that we reign as coregents with Christ, in the same way that Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy reigned as the kings and queens of Narnia, but did so under the ultimate authority of the true King Aslan

 

            -- this would have been an important promise to Timothy -- as we have noted, the epistle of 2 Timothy was written with a theme of enduring persecution and suffering -- throughout this book, Paul urges Timothy to be faithful, to keep holding on to what he had been taught, to be strong in the grace of Christ

            -- this promise from Christ that those who died in Christ will live with Him and those who endure will reign with Him would have given the Christians in Timothy’s church hope as they stood on the promise that Christ was with them and would help them endure and overcome all they were going through -- and that one day, they would emerge victorious and triumphant on the other side, and reign with Christ in eternity forever

 

            -- so, those were the two promises of hope that this hymn gave to believers as they sought to live for Christ in enemy-occupied territory

            -- now, let’s turn to the last two stanzas, which warn unbelievers and false teachers of the fate awaiting them if they do not repent of their sins and put their trust and faith in Jesus

 

            -- look back at the second part of verse 12

            -- depending on your translation, this verse might say, “If we disown Him, He will also disown us” or it might say, “If we deny Him, He will also deny us”

            -- we can make the case that the best translation of this is the word, “disown” -- disown means to “refuse to acknowledge or accept as one’s own” -- where deny means “to declare untrue -- to assert the contrary of -- or to contradict”

            -- so, to deny something is to simply say that you don’t accept the truth as a matter of fact -- to disown something, though, means that you have heard the truth, and you know it is true, but you still refuse to acknowledge or accept it for yourself”

            -- it reminds me of Chesterton’s statement, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”

 

            -- there are many ways that we can disown or deny Christ, both by word and by action -- as H.R. Reynolds wrote: “We may take the part of His enemies, or ignore His supreme claim to our allegiance -- we may transform Him into a myth, a fairy tale, a subjective principle, or find a substitute in our own life for His grace -- and we may assume that He is not the ground of our reconciliation, nor the giver of salvation, nor the sole Head of His Church.”

 

            -- one thing we do need to address here -- all of us, in one way or the other, have denied Christ in our lives -- maybe not with our words, but surely with our actions as we continue to sin and do that which Christ commanded us not to do

            -- so, what does this verse mean for us?

 

            -- well, there are two types of denial discussed in the Bible -- the Judas type of denial and the Petrine type -- the denial of Peter on the night when Christ was betrayed into the hands of the Jews -- and it’s important for us to understand the difference

            -- the Judas type of denial is a continual and permanent denial -- it is a deliberate turning away from the truth -- it is a definite decision by a person to reject the person and the promise of Christ and to deny Him in word and in deed

            -- Peter’s denial of Jesus was different -- it was a temporary sin -- it was a sin forced in a moment of extreme trauma -- and Peter, the rock of the early church, gave in to his desire to save his life above all else, and denied knowing Christ with his lips, but in his heart, his faith was sure

            -- Peter’s denial was transient and temporary -- and it was followed by intense sorrow, guilt, and repentance -- Judas was sorry for what he did, but he did not repent of his sin and refused to turn back to Jesus in faith

 

            -- there may well be times in our lives when we deny Christ with our words or our actions, even though we are true believers and continue to live in faith and trust in Jesus -- and such denials require repentance and prayers for forgiveness -- but this is not what Paul is referring to in this verse

            -- Paul is referring here to the denial of an unbeliever or an apostate, someone who confessed Christ but then turned away from the faith -- of those false Christians and false teachers who were infiltrating the early church, including Timothy’s church

 

-- verse 13

 

2 Timothy 2:13 if we are faithless,

    he remains faithful,

    for he cannot disown himself.

 

            -- faithless literally means “without faith” -- it is a reference to a lack of saving faith in Christ

-- the Greek term translated as faithless here is used 8 times in the NT, with most translations rendering it as unbelief or without belief

-- this is referring to a continual state of unbelief, not to a believer who has moments of doubt or crisis of belief -- just as we do when we deny Christ through our words or actions, there are times when believers can have weak moments when our faith is shaky -- when life and trials cause us to become discouraged or despair -- that doesn’t mean we are without faith -- it just means our faith is diminished at the moment because of the circumstances

-- but the Bible tells us that if our faith in Jesus is as small as a mustard seed, we still believe -- the seed of faith is present, unlike those who are faithless or without faith at all

-- Isaiah 42:3 says, "A bruised reed he will not break, and a flickering candle he will not snuff out!" -- if we are Christians, the Spirit of God resides within us, and He will work on our behalf to empower us in our doubts and despairs so that our flickering flames of faith might be kindled into a roaring fire

 

-- the faithless ones that are referred to in this verse are those who are not believers -- those who have disowned Christ and have refused to receive Him as their Lord and Savior -- they are without faith -- without the Spirit -- and without hope because they have refused to turn to the only source of salvation

-- there were many false believers and false teachers in the early church who professed Christ with their lips but who were far from Him in their hearts -- and their presence in the church caused Timothy and the other true believers to question the promises of God

-- so this verse affirms the truth of the promise, that our unfaithfulness does not prove God false nor negate His promises -- God and His word remain true, regardless of whether we believe or do not believe -- whether we have faith or do not have faith

-- it is like the old saying about believing in faith even when we cannot see the object of our faith:

“I believe in the sun even when it is not shining. And I believe in love, even when there's no one there. And I believe in God, even when He is silent.”

 

-- this verse calls to mind Paul’s argument in Romans 3:3-4 as he addresses the fact that the Jews failed to live up to the law of God that they professed to esteem and uphold -- the question he raises in these verses is, “If the Jews have refused to believe in Jesus as the Messiah, does this mean that God’s promises are null and void?” “Does Israel’s lack of faith undermine and nullify the faithfulness of God?” Paul’s answer is very clear. “No!” Israel’s unbelief does not, in any way, undermine God’s covenant promises, or His faithfulness to these promises. God will show Himself true, even if all men prove to be liars (which they are). [Precept Austin]

 

-- the reason why God remains faithful is given to us in the end of verse 13 -- “He cannot disown (or deny) Himself”

-- Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever -- He cannot deny His nature and character -- He is truth and can be nothing but true -- He is holy and can only be holy -- this is why His promises are always yes and amen in Christ -- because He cannot lie and change into something He is not -- we can trust Him because He is unchanging and right in all that He is and all that He does

-- He is completely faithful because He is holy and right and just -- and there is nothing that will make Him any different

 

-- these last two stanzas point out that people who deny and disown the Savior will be denied by the Savior -- their condemnation is secure -- they won’t get into heaven -- but their lack of faithfulness doesn’t negate the truth of the promise of God

-- even though men don’t believe in Him and actively reject Him, God will still remain faithful to Himself, and to His promises

-- God means what He says: He will keep His Word. His promise of glory and His pronouncement of judgment are sure. Some people will be saved and glorified, and others will be denied and condemned.

-- we recognize this great truth in the hymn, “Great is Thy Faithfulness,” when we sing:

 

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father,

There is no shadow of turning with Thee;

Thou changest not, Thy compassions they fail not;

As Thou hast been Thou forever wilt be.”

 

III.  Closing

            -- One of the greatest Christian leaders of the last century was John Stott, rector of All Souls Langham Place in London and a peerless preacher, Bible teacher, evangelist, author, global leader and friend to many.

-- in his notes, Os Guinness wrote that he had known Stott for many decades, but the event that he would never forget would be his last visit to Stott’s bedside three weeks before he died

-- Guiness wrote, “After an unforgettable hour and more of sharing many memories over many years, I asked him how he would like me to pray for him. Lying weakly on his back and barely able to speak, he answered in a hoarse whisper, "Pray that I will be faithful to Jesus until my last breath." [Source: Os Guinness, Impossible People (IVP Books, 2016)]

 

-- the prayer of Stott captures the heart of this passage and the hope that is in this early Christian hymn -- in the face of persecution -- in the face of trials and the tribulation -- in the face of false Christians and false teachers -- we can find hope for endurance through the great promises of Christ -- His promise of salvation through our death and resurrection in Him -- His promise that we will reign with Him in eternity forever -- and the promise that He is faithful and that He and His word can be trusted without fear

-- for those who reject Him -- for those who deny Him and disown Him -- they will suffer the consequences of their actions and face condemnation and hellfire -- but even for them, the promises remain -- that if they will but repent and turn from their sins and turn to Jesus for forgiveness and salvation, they will be saved and we be brought into life as a new creation in Christ

 

-- so, with this great promise that we find in this fourth trustworthy and faithful statement of Paul, let us close in prayer and in worship to God

-- let us pray